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Poetics

— ‘You betray poetry once again,’ you’ll say,
‘The most sacred expression man has
You use once again as a medium, a pack-horse
For your dark pursuits
Fully aware of the damage you are causing
Setting such an example for the youth.’

— I want you to tell me what exactly it is that you didn’t betray
You and your like, year after year
Selling out each and every one of your belongings
To foreign markets and local souks
And you’re left without eyes to see, without ears
To hear, with sealed lips and do not speak.
For which sacred human things are you condemning us?

I know: ‘Preaching and rhetoric’, you’ll say once again.
Well yes! Preaching and rhetoric.

Like nails, words should be hammered in,

So the wind doesn’t take them.

Translated by Kimon

Translated by Kimon

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Poetics

— You’re betraying Poetry again, you’ll tell me,
The most sacred expression of Man
You’re using it again as a tool, a jument
For your dark pursuits
Entirely aware of the damage you are doing
To the young through your example

— W h a t h a v e y o u n o t b e t r a y e d, tell me
You and your like, for years and years,
Selling your possessions one by one
In the foreign markets and the people’s souks
And you are left with no eyes to see, no ears
To hear, with sealed lips and you say nothing.
For what that man holds sacred are you condemning us?

I know: sermon and rhetoric again, you’ll say.
And well, yes! Sermon and rhetoric.

Like n a i l s words shall be hammered

For them not to be taken by the wind.

Translated by Myrtias

Translated by Myrtias
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Kimon is a student of Greek Literature in Kirini, and Myrtias a Syrian student in Alexandria.

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Ποιητική

— Προδίδετε πάλι τὴν Ποίηση, θὰ μοῦ πεῖς,
Τὴν ἱερότερη ἐκδήλωση τοῦ Ἀνθρώπου
Τὴ χρησιμοποιεῖτε πάλι ὡς μέσον, ὑποζύγιον
Τῶν σκοτεινῶν ἐπιδιώξεών σας
Ἐν πλήρει γνώσει τῆς ζημιᾶς ποὺ προκαλεῖτε
Μὲ τὸ παράδειγμά σας στοὺς νεωτέρους.

— Τὸ τί δὲν πρόδωσες ἐσὺ νὰ μοῦ πεῖς
Ἐσὺ κι οἱ ὅμοιοί σου, χρόνια καὶ χρόνια,
Ἕνα πρὸς ἕνα τὰ ὑπάρχοντά σας ξεπουλώντας
Στὶς διεθνεῖς ἀγορὲς καὶ τὰ λαϊκὰ παζάρια
Καὶ μείνατε χωρὶς μάτια γιὰ νὰ βλέπετε, χωρὶς ἀφτιὰ
Ν᾿ ἀκοῦτε, μὲ σφραγισμένα στόματα καὶ δὲ μιλᾶτε.
Γιὰ ποιὰ ἀνθρώπινα ἱερὰ μᾶς ἐγκαλεῖτε;

Ξέρω: κηρύγματα καὶ ρητορεῖες πάλι, θὰ πεῖς.
Ἔ ναὶ λοιπόν! Κηρύγματα καὶ ρητορεῖες.

Σὰν π ρ ό κ ε ς πρέπει νὰ καρφώνονται οἱ λέξεις

Νὰ μὴν τὶς παίρνει ὁ ἄνεμος.

Μανόλης Αναγνωστάκης
(Manolis Anagnostakis)

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